A process that began in earnest months ago has concluded, as the State Legislature and Governor Jerry Brown have reached an agreement for a state budget — the major funding mechanism for the University of California and UCLA.

“Smart Manufacturing is an unprecedented exploitation of data into real-time actions that changes the manufacturing industry with ever advancing data and information technologies not unlike what has happened in other industries like Amazon, TrueCar, etc. and how we buy products; ATM and mobile banking; Uber and Lyft ride share services, Airbnb for room sharing,” said Jim Davis, UCLA Vice Provost of Information Technology and co-founder of the Smart Manufacturing Leadership Coalition that was awarded CESMII. “What does next generation digitalized manufacturing look like?”

Professor Veronica Santos, who works with robotic hands, took her work to Washington, D.C. (photos by Veronica Santos)

UCLA Professor Veronica Santos’ research can be explained in any number of ways. She can even reference Homer Simpson, if the occasion calls for it.

During her trip to Washington, D.C. for the Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF) Day, Santos found her voice talking with staff and members of Congress — taking the theory of her Biomechatronics Lab, and making a pitch for life-saving benefits in the real world. The emphasis of the trip was to advocate for vital National Science Foundation (NSF) funding.

“It’s a good exercise to make you get out of your tunnel vision of what you’re doing in the lab and think at a high level as to what your research is contributing to society,” she said. “You’re trying to sell those advantages to people you hope will champion this for the betterment of society.”

Young Research Library has been identified as a top priority of deferred maintenance work for this year, along with numerous other projects. (photo by Jonathan Van Dyke)

During the Los Angeles winter, it’s not uncommon for UCLA students looking to study at Young Research Library to be left in the wet and cold.

The issue is one of many facing the university, as administrative officials hope that state legislators approve more money for deferred maintenance — i.e. repair, replacement or renovation projects required to keep campus facilities operationally efficient and modernized.

As for Young Research Library, Kelly Schmader, assistant vice chancellor for Facilities Management, said he and his team identified it as one of the most pressing repair projects on campus.

“During rainy weather, the students can’t sit on the west or south side of the stacks because the windows leak like sieves,” he said, noting it’s been that way during the six years he’s held his position at UCLA. “With growing enrollment, our students need adequate places to study.”

There’s no question that the 2016 presidential election left an indelible mark on the United States, unearthed deep-seated attitudes, amplified critical national conversations and influenced America’s reputation on the global stage.

The subjects of who Americans are, what America represents and how the country might begin to bridge the current political chasm and alleviate internal dysfunction were on the minds of audience members and speakers alike at The Atlantic’s “Recoding the Republic” conference, held Thursday at the UCLA Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference Center.

Rep. Adam Schiff, right, answered questions from Kal Raustiala, director of the Burkle Center for International Relations, at the Bernard Brodie Distinguished Lecture on the Conditions of Peace. (photos by Todd Cheney/UCLA)

These are dangerous times, California Rep. Adam Schiff said Thursday afternoon on campus.

“The autocrats of the world are on the rise,” posing a serious challenge to liberal democracies, said the Democratic congressman, who represents Los Angeles County’s 28th District. Schiff delivered the Bernard Brodie Distinguished Lecture on the Conditions of Peace, sponsored by UCLA’s Burkle Center for International Relations.

As examples, he cited recent political changes in Europe, including Hungary and Poland, as well as Turkey and the Philippines — and said the threat to democracy from within is greater than the external threats. Schiff told the audience that the United States is led by a president who refers to the press as an “enemy of the people” and who does not respect his own Justice Department or the country’s system of checks and balances.